Celebrating summer 

Text and photos by Heather Cline 

August is like the Sunday of summer. Long days and warm evenings will soon be replaced with autumn colors and football tailgate parties. Before we close the door on summer, I thought it would be nice to celebrate it with some fun facts, and photos of course.  

July 3rd to August 11th are known as the “dog days of summer” and are named after Sirius, the Dog Star located in the constellation of Canis Major.

More thunderstorms occur during summer than any other time of year. 

Monarch butterflies spend the summer in North America before migrating south for the winter. 

A bears ability to hibernate through winter is equally based on their ability to pack on pounds during summer. The bears of Katmai (like the one pictured below) compete for calories using their fishing skills and some good luck. In the fall, they go into hyperphagia where they eat constantly and can consume around 30,000 calories per day! This is critical for their survival. 

One of the best meteor showers of the year, known as Perseids, peaks in mid-August. During it's peak, you can view between 30-100 meteors per hour. The photo below is a compilation of meteors I captured in a two hour window.

Sea lions are also serious about their sunbathing and can be seen lounging on beaches and piers along the California coast. Sea lion are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Some are listed under the Endangered Species Act as well.

Painted turtles bask in the sun to absorb heat and regulate their body temperature. 

Alligators enjoy warm weather, but may cool down by finding a shady spot, going for a swim, or opening their mouths wide to release stored heat. This alligator below, at Everglades National Park was doing just that and showing off his lovely teeth. 

Estivation is the summertime version of hibernation, when animals go into a state of dormancy to lessen the effects of high temperatures and/or drought. While an estivating animal's bodily rhythms do slow, they are not as fully dormant as animals who hibernate in the winter. animals that estivate include reptiles, amphibians, fish, and mammals. 

I hope you enjoyed this celebration of summer and all the greatness that occurs during this time of year.